The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-01-13

Grand total Of bonds voted since JAN
uary l, 1Sso--...-.-.-...........- ,OOl
II all the bonds thus voted were issued,
the MUNICIPAL indebtedness Of Kansas
would be as tollows:
County $14373,65
township. .---..-..-..--.....--.-.. g4l5 w
school district. Northumberland. 2,S55. II
Total ...$bO, o19, sol
1t Ia hardly probable, however, thai
half OF the bonds now voted, but not vel
issued, will ever be earned. But the sg-
RTeRate of our municipal Indebtedness
even If one-half of the bonds noted should
never be issued, will exceed $25, OO0,O 900
and it seems to me time 20 put q stop,
firmly and thoroughly, to this wasteful tx
| travsRSnce. Vast as are the resources Of
! our state. wonderful as It's growth has been,
and bright as Its prospects are, neither the
productive ness and development Of the
| present, nor the hopes of the future, will
| Justify q continuance of such reckless
| folly IN bond voting.
RAILROAD BONDS.
1t will be observed that $12,0S3. 018 of
the bonds already issued, and $l1, 146 GOO
| OF those voted but not yet issued, have
been voted to aid in building railroads.
| This system of bond-votin9 to build rail-
ROOFS began twenty years ago, and cOntin-
ued for nearly q decade. Then came q
| period of business and industrial depres-
sion, followed by an era Of attempted
| reputation, the effects OF which are still
| lingering in the courts. Three years ago
another epidemic of railroad bond-vOting
broke out. and has since spread through
| out nearly every section OF the state.
! The most conservative communities have
yielded TO the contagion, and the all abb
| sorbiDg ambition OF every county and
town In the state seems to be to secure
railroads.
1t would not be just t. deprive counties
having no railroads of the powers other
counties have thus far, exercised. But If
all authority TO vote bonds in aid OF, or
take stock In. railroads, was denied to any
county now traverssd by one or more lines
Of railway, no injustice would be done,
nor would the building of any legIti-
mate or needed line of railway be
retarded or prevented. As long, however,
as counties, townships or cities are per-
mitted to vote bonds tor such purposes,
just SO long will the bond voting continue
One community will vote additional in
debtedness on itself because, If it does not
1t may lose advantages 1t has already PAID
immense sums of money to secure. In
this age, railroads make and unmake cities
| and towns, and hence q flourishinR COM
munItY, on whose commerce and indus
tries the prosperity of hundreds or thou
sands of people depend, may be destroyed
| by the building of one or two railways
Confronted by the alternative of voting
| bonds or of seeing the accumulatlons and
labors of years destroyed, the people, with
or without the approval of their judgment
''vote the bonds" They cannot afford tC
do otherwise. 1t is, on the one hand, the
assumption of burdensome debt, or, or
the other, the destruction OF all theil
hopes, and, possibly, their financial ruin
If, however, all authority to vote bonds
In aid of railroads WAS revoked, except il
counties having no railway lines within
their limits, this bond-votiDg under dures
would cease. Such railroads as the carry.
| ing trade of the state will support, and al
lines demanded by legitimate business In.
terests, would be built by honest railway
enterprise, without regard to local aid
Any other railroads than these are not, an(
never will be, OF advantage to the State.
starving railroad Is not q benefit is
curse to the communities it pretends Il
serve. Because such railways as these, o
indeed, any lines of railroad in excess o
the carrying trade of country, retard ant
prevent the accomplishment Of a result il
which all classes of the people are mos
largely interested, VIZ: the speedy ant
constant reduction OF freights aud fares &
the lowest possible limit.
auI as anxious as any citizen can b
that every section of our state shall b
provided with the most abundant trans
Dortation facilities. But, in my judgment
Kansas long ago passed that stage o
development when bond voting stimuli
was necessary to promote the building o
any legitimate railroad. AS long, how
ever, as authority to vote bonds is give
by law, the railroad companies will max
subsidies q condition precedent to buildin
roads, land the people of different counties
townships and cities will be compelled L
give the aid asked in order to proteC
their own local interests against injury O
destruction. To repeal this authorit
will not prevent the building of railroads
but 1t will prevent the necessity of an
further increase of our already larg
municipal Indebtedness.
ASSESSMENT AND TAXATION.
In my message TO the the legislature G
1885 attention was called to the seTiou
defects in our laws providing for the as
sessment and equalization OF propert
values for taxation. 1 again invok
attention to this,subject, which is Of wits
Importance to the welfare of the state an
, its taxpayers. The present system
, VIGOROUSLY inadequate to secure fair {
} Just equalization of the burdens
: government, state or local, and should /
thoroughly and carefully revised. L
detects were pointed out in my mssssg
, Of two years ago, and although some les
? islGtion was had, al that time, looking
= their correction, the remedies adopte
? were inadequate.
: l call your attention, in this connectio
to the recommendations of the late sta
= treasurer touching this subject He b
given it patient and Intelligent study, Al
ais experience with and knowledge of u
}; practical workings of Vario
!, systems of assessments enab
= tue evils OF our present system, and
It suggest such changes and reforms as a
: necessary to abolish these evils. n
]. in the Kansas system of raising revenue
: in the assessment; the method of colleC
: ing taxes can scarcely be improved. ="
vi PUBLIC INDICATION.
u The report of the state superintendent
n public instruction furnishes full inform
+ ton concerning the development of @
{ public school system. The school pop
latiOn of the ststs-persons between {
70 ages OF five and tWenty-one years-ls NJ
Of 497, 7S5, an increase of SO 5s5 over IS
Of The scholars enrolled number 1856 2;
ut an increase Of 81 1888 during the sal
e period. The average daily attendAz
q, was 2l9.9O8. an increase of Y, $50 It v
As be observed that, Notwithstanding I
D. ample educational facilities PROVIDED
1g he people of Kansas for the education
'fs our youth, less than one-half of the scht
s. population attends the public schoo
OF These hRures, however. hardly serve az
Il. fair ILLUSTRATION OF non-attendanCe. F
d. parents deem IL wise to subject child
%. under seven years of age to the confil
80 ment or discipline ofthe school room, a
p. except in few OF the larger cities, VII
nd high schools are provided, boys and q
lst over sixteen or seventeen years Of
OF rarely attend the district schools.
III The teachers employed In 1884 numl
nd ed {, S42; those employed In 1855 numl